CORA AKED ALUMNI PROFILE – MATHS AND MOUNTAINS!
We recently heard from Cora Aked, student at Richmond School and Sixth Form College from 2016 – 2023. Cora told us of her plans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in the summer with a group from her university, St Andrews. The trip will raise money for Dig Deep, a charity that aims to provide clean water and sanitation for communities in Kenya – she asked us to spread the word!
This isn’t the first time Cora has been in touch since she left. She was kind enough to visit last year to talk to a group of Year 10 girls about her experiences in relation to STEM subjects and Sixth Form studies in general. She is very well qualified in this respect, having left us with four A* grades at A Level for the University of St Andrews to study maths!
Cora has also been kind enough to answer our questions in detail, giving a real insight into her time at Richmond, university life in Scotland and her genuine passion for the mountains. Read on!
RS: Describe your time at Richmond School and Sixth Form College.
CA: The memories I have of Richmond School and the College are very fond ones! I enjoyed a lot of what I studied when I was at school, and was very interested in it, in particular, maths, sciences and languages, which I am still keeping up with and learning about. I was also keen to branch out, push myself and learn about things that interested me outside the curriculum, so I took part in a variety of things to learn about everything from genetics to medicine to cyber security. I was very lucky to have some wonderful teachers throughout my time at school and sixth form who were able to encourage and help me apply to these things, and I was very grateful for the opportunities this gave me! Even in sixth form, I wanted to remain involved in the main school, so I spent some time volunteering for the maths department and the science club, helping out in lessons and after school, and I had a fantastic time doing it.
I also had a few hobbies in my free time (honestly, I’m not sure how 16-year-old me had the energy!). A keen dancer and cellist, I became very well acquainted with the dance and music department during my time at Richmond. I went on the music trip to Germany with the orchestra in 2018, which was a fabulous experience. I also did some work and performances with the dance department, which was a great way to unwind and shift my focus onto something else for a few hours. I think Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat that same year might have been one of my highlights. I had such a wonderful time working on it and making some amazing friends!
RS: What course are you studying now, and where?
CA: I’m now up in St Andrews, on the beautiful east coast of Scotland, studying maths.
RS: What were your first impressions of being at university?
CA: My main worry before going to uni, which I think a lot of other people who have been through the process can sympathise with, was, “Will I make any friends? Will people like me? Will I find people like me?” But it very quickly turned out that would not be an issue at all. Everybody in St Andrews is so lovely and the town is so small that it doesn’t take long at all to navigate and get to know everybody quickly. Everybody knows everybody else somehow, which can be great (almost always!), and I don’t think any two people are the same. I have been very fortunate to meet many wonderful people with absolutely fascinating backgrounds and very unique interests, which is one of the greatest things about university, in my opinion.
In terms of the lectures, the first couple of weeks were very different to maths taught at school, and I must admit it was a bit daunting! But you quickly make friends, get to know people, adjust to the course, and life gets a bit quieter and easier. Freshers Week is such an insane experience and so much fun, but I’m very glad that university isn’t always like that!
RS: Briefly describe the course – how it’s taught and assessed, and how you’re finding it.
CA: It varies quite a lot. I think the courses in Scotland are quite unique, in that the standard degree is 4 years, rather than 3 as in England. The first two years run a little bit like A-Levels, where people generally pick their ‘major’ subject and then two ‘minors’ (which can be more or less anything), and then they start to slowly whittle down to a single major and minor in second year. Then the final two years are spent working towards gaining credit for your ‘major’ degree, which can be one or two subjects (two is a ‘joint-honours’).
Because one of my A-Levels was further maths, I was able to skip forward to second year to avoid a year of recapping content I had already covered, so my degree is turning out more or less as if it was run in the English system. However, I’m doing an integrated masters, so my degree is 4 years in total anyway. Direct entry was hard, but I’m glad that I did it, because although the first year would have given me some space to explore my options, I think I was very set on maths from the get-go, and I’m very prone to changing my mind and didn’t want to make decisions even more complicated. Also, most of my closest friends at uni are on the same direct-entry course, and it’s how we all met. So I get to see some of my best friends at uni every day in lectures, which is fabulous!
RS: What are the positives and negatives of life at university?
One of the best things about uni, definitely, is all the opportunities you get. It’s absolutely the time to try out something new, or excel in a hobby you’ve had for a while, because it’s so easy to make friends and get involved. There are also so many chances to take the initiative, get qualified and lead on something you’re passionate about (and get it subsidised by the university, which is a bonus!). However, there’s definitely not enough time in the week for it all, and I wish the week was a bit longer to try all these things out!
From an academic standpoint, university gives you a lot more freedom to explore what you’re interested in. Independent learning is actively encouraged, and apart from lectures and other classes, it’s up to you to manage your time and make your own schedule, which works very well for me. For some people, this isn’t how they like to work, but the university is very accommodating for different people and the different ways in which they work.
RS: Any particular standout moments or events or trips so far?
CA: Pretty much from day one, as a big hiker, I got very involved in the mountaineering club, and I think that’s given me most of my standout moments. We’ve been all over Scotland, from Aviemore to Glencoe to Skye. Skye in particular was probably one of the best places I’ve been. We stayed on a campsite by the sea, right under the extraordinary Cuillin Ridge. The first couple of days were spent being soaked by rain, wandering around and swimming in caves, which was amazing in its own right, but the last few days were warm with clear skies. Hiking up into the Cullins with only blue skies, rock and the ocean in sight is truly spectacular, and I’m looking forward to heading back someday. We’re set to go to Wales in June, which I’m excited about!
RS: Tell us a bit about your upcoming Kilimanjaro trip.
CA: In August, a group of us from St Andrews are climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money for Dig Deep. They’re a charity that aims to provide clean water and sanitation to communities in Bomet County, Kenya, where over two thirds of the population don’t have access to clean water, and half don’t have access to a proper toilet. The work they have already done towards this is extraordinary, and I feel very privileged to be able to play a part in what they do!
We’ll be climbing the Machame route over 6 days, and it’ll certainly be a challenge, but an experience to remember. I’m currently in the process of training and fundraising for this challenge by doing some events, for example, we climbed the height of Kilimanjaro on the university 8 metre climbing wall, ran a few bake sales, and have a charity Ceilidh organised for April.
RS: We know you’re only in your second year, but what are your plans for the future, both short and longer term, if you’ve thought that far ahead!?
Honestly, I’m not sure yet! I’m still trying to figure out what areas of maths I’m really interested in. I don’t mind a bit of stats here and there, but I’m much more of a pure mathematician and I’ve become really interested in all things computers since being at uni. I’d love to do some research and work in cryptography and AI, as these are so relevant in the modern day and it’s fascinating how they work.
However, I’m also so immersed in mountaineering now that I could equally head down that route. I’m currently in the process of trying to get my qualifications to lead climbing and hiking, which I’m hoping to finish at least a couple of by the time I graduate. I love teaching and working with people in both maths and climbing, so I’ll probably end up being a teacher of some sort at some point, but who knows? I’ve discovered a lot can change in a few years.
RS: What advice would you give current Year 13 students who are applying for university?
CA: I think the first thing I would say is know your priorities for what you want out of uni. Do you want somewhere that has a lot of research funding for academics? Do you want somewhere with a great nightlife? Do you want a big city or a smaller one? For example, I chose St Andrews because I knew I didn’t want to live in a big city and it had a very good academic reputation, particularly for maths, as well as being so close to the Scottish mountains. That meant I could keep up my hiking, which was one of the most important things to me. Doing this gives you an idea of the sort of places that would suit you best and you can meet more like-minded people from the get-go and immerse yourself in the university’s culture.
Also, as silly as it sounds, you really do need to believe the things that people tell you about uni. It’s hard to believe initially that you’ll make friends for life and have another place that you call home, but you really do! Take the opportunities that come your way at uni – it’s how I’ve met some of my best friends – and don’t work yourself too hard in your first year. Enjoy yourself, first year usually doesn’t count towards very much for a reason. It’s the time to try out anything and everything, and you’ll have a fantastic time. And if you don’t, there’s plenty of other options out there. A degree isn’t for everyone!
Thank you very much to Cora for providing us with such an in-depth look at life at a Scottish university. We wish her all the best with her future and especially her upcoming fundraising adventure to Mt Kilimanjaro.
If you’d like to donate to Cora’s Dig Deep fundraising, please go to the link below: